Tuesday, November 8, 2011

B3RLIN

I haven't updated this since I left Canada for Germany, and there is a good reason for that...I'm just enjoying myself too much to stop and reflect on how much I am enjoying myself. It's similar to when you are at a monumental live show and the people in front of you are watching it through the cracked screen of their shitty 5.2 megapixel Canon "coolpix" camera; they are better off actually soaking in the experience itself.

Berlin has been all that I wanted (don't ask me the criterion for this), and more. I won't bother with the details, but the bottom line is that two months in Berlin has taught me how to party more than all of the Burning Man experiences I have had and all the pre/post fiascos that have gone along with them over the last 3 years. Here are some artists I should be seeing soon here:




Saturday, September 17, 2011

New Weird Latin America

My mind is currently being blown by these tribal, bassy house tracks by Mama Testa feat. Paul Marmota and Zut Zut. They both can be found on the Mulata/Haina EP released earlier this month. South America has been impressing me lately; Nicholas Jaar is based out of Chile, and Adrián Méndez (who is Mama Testa) is Franco-Mexican. Dig!

Mulata (ft. Paul Marmota) - NWLA R003 - Mulata/Haina by Mama Testa

Haina ft. Zutzut - NWLA R003 - Mulata/Haina by Mama Testa

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Cloud Boat

Sounds like Burial but less dark and with live instruments- these guys are touring with James Blake right now.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Hippy-Hipster-Raver-Cowgirl...(Gangstaaaa??)





Sorry for the lack of updates, albeit, I swear I have a completely benign excuse! I have been travelling a bit to New York City, Portland, The Redwood Forest, Big Sur, San Francisco, L.A. and then to the almighty BLACK ROCK CITY. To finish things off I had an odd 24 hour decompression in Las Vegas before returning safe and sound to Toronto.

The Playa treated me like a bar of gold this year. Saturn, our reliable vessel, transported some absolutely wonderful companions (some old, some new) and myself on a fabulous journey full of discovery, adventure, challenge and constant soul searching. Special thanks to Alla, Jaca, Treymor, Wolf, Air, Rocky, Lamb Cunt and Rye Toast.

We were here. We were there. We will be again.

  

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Introduction by the Author


Fran Lebowitz

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Wander / Wonder

Balam Acab will be releasing his first full-length album August 29 on Tri-Angle. Here is a taste of what's to come:

BALAM ACAB - Apart by TriAngleRecords

Alec Koone, you're the coolest fuckin' 20 year old around.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

This, and nothing else

I have no tattoos, or intention of getting any, but this back piece, with no other tattoos on your body might just be the most appealing I've seen.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Don't Forget

283 Salem Ave, Friday June 24. Costumes mandatory. DIG.



Items That Need to Stop...

1) Guys wearing messenger bags. ENOUGH. Unless you're gay, use your pockets. STOP.


2) Girls wearing tights under shorts. If it's cold enough to wear tights, it's too cold for shorts. This combo looks good on NO ONE. I rocked it once but it was for a Halloween costume. STOP.



Merci.
ROTO

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

Old Habits Die Hard

"I am so over this fucking classic idiot bullshit! Every time he touches you in a sex-way, he’s doing it for one reason and you’re doing it for another, which means that he’s not just fucking you; he’s also tearing off a raggedy, bloody corner of your heart/soul/whatever. Does “he’s just not that into you” not translate into whatever anti-logic, non-adult language you speak? Also, when he says, “No, you’re not,” he means, “Seriously, stop fucking me. Immediately.”


Actually, I know it doesn’t translate. Like you, I have been hypnotized by dudes whose appeal lies mostly (entirely?) in the fact that they do not want a relationship. My twenties were about being unconvinced that nice guys who liked me were owed as much time and attention as the ones who forgot how to call, how to spell my name, and how to proffer as many orgasms as they accepted.

Here is the problem you actually have: you’re being a shit to yourself—which you already know, but me telling you to locate your self-respect is kind of useless until you grow into it—and you’re being a shit to Girl Nation, which needs you to end the cycle of giving the least-deserving guys all of the pussy. And, yes, you’re also being a shit to the citizens of Bad, User-y Guy Nation who have less and less motivation to stop being emotion-vampires and to date you properly.

Unfollow, hide and delete him. When you do see him, all he gets from your babe-face is a tight nod. One of two things will happen: he will barely notice, because he doesn’t like you, or his penis will be like “???” and he’ll eventually make some grand gesture, or what passes for a grand gesture in Bad, User-y Guy Nation, like a daytime phone call. Replace him with something else: lez out, find a dorky sweetheart or just get really into some far-from-him hobby, like backcountry camping.

You will, eventually, stop liking him. Because, eventually, a person who doesn’t like you will become unattractive. And, more importantly, you’ll stop liking the version of yourself who acts like such an embarrassing dummy."

Thanks, as always, to Ms. Carraway for this heaping slice of truth.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Chalk

This video is so real; it makes me want to find the beauty and loveliness in the mundane repetitions and habits we take for granted on a regular basis. I live and get glimpses of life through a "Chalk"-like lens periodically, but why can't I constantly embrace and be surrounded by everyday creative energy and clairvoyance?

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Sex Smells

Ummm, hell-o Doom Metal. I have arrived to soak you in.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

GHOSTPROM

Pitchfork gave these latest remixes 9.8/10. I can totally see why.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

McQueen Spring/Summer 2011

FUCK YA.



Sunday, May 8, 2011

J.D. McPherson

How could you not like this! DIG! This one's for you today on Mother's Day, Mom; happy 62nd birthday to you up there too, Daddy-o.

Friday, May 6, 2011

You have no idea...

...the extent to which I am digging Young Montana? (aka Jon Pritchard). Again, 20 years old, from the UK and blowing shit out of the water. His new album, Limerence was recently released on Alpha Pup and the sonic similarities to the Brainfeeder collective are undeniable. I will undoubtedly be playing some Young Montana? at The Bellevue May 15 with Wolfgang Von Haddock. See you there!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

A Cruel Picture

The Salem house has been playing late night muted sessions of the original 1968 version of Night of the Living Dead to Timber Timbre's album Creep on Creepin' On. The music fits flawlessly with the film on silent. This video for Purity Ring's Lofticries is akin to the general feeling of the Salem living room production but uses clips from the 1974 Swedish film Thriller: A Cruel Picture. Impressed.


Purity Ring- Lofticries from David Dean Burkhart on Vimeo.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Most Gigantic Honest Mouth of All Time

I must say I liked Thom's dancing on Lotus Flower but Hitler may, to some extent, be right this time. Besides, who doesn't like a little sensationalism every now and again?




Monday, April 25, 2011

I don't love the new self-titled release from Gatto Fritto, but this video seduced me. It must be that damn fringe bikini; just see for yourself!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Monday, April 4, 2011

Mandate of Heaven

Beautiful beautiful beautiful.



I got lost for hours ogling here and here.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

FYI

Event of the year, just so you know. Invitation only. xxxo

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Newborn Mice’s Hearts Can Heal Themselves
Taken from: The NY Times, March 1, 2011
By SINDYA N. BHANOO


An adult zebra fish can regenerate a damaged heart with no scar formation. This remarkable phenomenon has been seen in other fish and amphibians as well, but never before in a mammal. Now researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center report in the current issue of Science that the mammalian newborn heart can fully heal itself.

Dr. Hesham Sadek, a cardiologist at the medical center, and his colleagues worked with mice and found that if a portion of the heart was removed within the first week of life, the heart grew back completely. The researchers removed about 15 percent of the lowest portion of the heart, known as the apex, in laboratory mice. Within three weeks, the lost tissue regenerated itself and the hearts were healed.

“But by seven days this remarkable regenerative is lost and instead of regrowing that tissue back, there is heart failure,” said Dr. Sadek said. “In humans, it may be a few months after birth that this is lost.” The newborn’s uninjured beating heart cells, known as cardiomyocytes, may be the source of new cells. Or stem cells may be contributing to the process, according to the report.

The study offers hope that doctors will one day be able to cure heart disease. If newborn children are also able to regenerate their hearts, there may be a way to restart this ability in adults. “We’re looking at a few genes that could regulate this process, and then we can look for drugs that activate the genes,” Dr. Sadek said. “Maybe we can remind the heart how to do this.”

Read more here.

HBD013

Burial will be releasing a new solo single on Hyperdub March 28. The three tracks are ‘Street Halo’, ‘NYC’ and ‘Stolen Dog’. It's been four years since a solo release by Burial- I don't know quite what to expect, but I hope to see a progression of sorts. I have a deep love for Burial, but with four years to sit on his old material, releasing tracks that are merely "more of the same" will be a bit of a let down.

*Update* Below are two of the tracks:

Burial - Stolen Dog by weallwantsome1

Burial - Street Halo by weallwantsome1

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I dig: Sam Winston

Given the content of this blog, you may wonder if my interests span outside of the music realm. Rarely, but yes...I’m not joking, just joking, I am joking, just joking, I’m not joking.

So, Sam Winston is a brilliant London artist who works with words, language, typography, literature and semantics in artistic form. His genius borders on insanity in terms of the painstaking detail and numeracy in his work. His projects epitomize the non-dichotomous aspects of art, math, science and language. The ideas behind Orphan and Darwin are some of the most impressive I've seen in a while.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Collaboration Gratification

A Burial, Thom Yorke, Four Tet collaboration? This doesn't surprise me the slightest (hell, it wouldn't surprise me if Johnny Greenwood himself was Burial, for that matter). I think the only thing more I could ask for is for LUKID and FlyLo to also join the party. Listen to the two tracks  1) Mirror and  2) Ego below. Limited physical release is March 21 (good luck getting your hands on a copy).

I'm just curious as to how this type of event happens: does Thom call up Kieran Hebden to see if him and Burial want to come over and play for an afternoon? To be quite frank, I'm more excited about the collaboration itself; the two tracks aren't blowing my mind. I feel as though Thom's stock has been down lately. Just sayin'...




Friday, March 11, 2011

Stephen Farris

...he reminds me of FlyLo but more 80's cosmic rock rather than cosmic space opera hip-hop. Bottom line: the resulting music is swag. Better yet, Stephen Farris, a 20 year old who hails from Houston, Texas, will be releasing a new album, Cosmic Sound II. Check out the rest of his work here- and take note that I dig every single one of his tracks; this is an LP artist for sure.

   Indigo by Stephen Farris

   Orange Mellow by Stephen Farris

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Upcoming Album Releases 2011

A non-comprehensive list of upcoming new releases that I'm looking forward to (and that you should be too!):

Aphex Twin- ???- March 12, Warp?
Falty DL- You Stand Uncertain, March 14, Planet Mu
FABRICLIVE 56: Ramadanman/Pearson Sound - March 21, Fabric
Moon Duo- Mazes- March 29, Sacred Bones
Bibio- Mind Bokeh- March 29, Warp
Prefuse 73- The Only She Chapters- April 25, Warp
Explosions in the Sky- Take Care, Take Care, Take Care- April 26, Temporary Residence Ltd.
Tyler the Creator- Goblin- April, XL
White Denim- D- May 24, Downtown
Shabazz Palaces- Black Up- May 31, Sub Pop
My Morning Jacket- Circuital, TBA, ATO

Of course, there are the ubiquitous rumours flying around as well: Burial, Portishead (Album 4), etc. So far, 2011 has been a good year for sounds, and I have a feeling it's only going to get better.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

"They're like Nicki Minaj, with dicks, and there's nine of them."

Following Tyler the Creator's decision to sign with XL, MellowHype has signed with Fat Possum (home to Junior Kimbrough, The Smith Westerns, and The Black Keys, among others).

This video of them making light of their "success" getting signed is priceless. I especially love the line at 1:34.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Maharaja of Bhavnagar

7 Million buys you:


Bulldogs, greyhounds, swans, oh my! This Carriage built by the Fort Coach Factory in 1915, Bombay, is so remarkably beautiful that after leaving the British Raj period portion of the AGO exhibit, I had to retrace my steps and revisit the masterpiece's splendour for a second time.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

What if the DJ were the NGO?

For contributing $2000 to back this seemingly brilliant research and production project, I could go to Morocco and join the likes of DJ/Rupture, the photo editor of The Fader, and others explore, teach and develop digital music with Moroccan musicians and youth. In addition, I would be designated as a founding member of Beyond Digital once/if it becomes a non-profit organization.



See more info here. Let's just say I am very seriously considering this as a travelling option in 2011; I have 17 days to decide.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Nicolas Jaar- Space is Only Noise

A discussion last week led to a friend making mention of the fact that the music I tend to enjoy falls in the 90-110 BPM range, which is 100% true...I just never realized anyone else but myself would have noticed it. Well, this track falls into that range, which is likely one of the reasons I dig it. The entire Nicolas Jaar album Space is Only Noise is highly, HIGHLY recommended.

Monday, February 14, 2011

The King of Limbs (thank you for waiting)

Just a little bit of news:


New Radiohead album, The King of Limbs, is being released Saturday February 19th on XL (UK).  Quite possibly the best $48 I've spent since 2007.

DETAILS
Newspaper Album - PRESALE
Radiohead's new record, The King Of Limbs, is presented here as the world's first* Newspaper Album, comprising:

* Two clear 10" vinyl records in a purpose-built record sleeve.
* A compact disc.
* Many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together.
* The Newspaper Album comes with a digital download that is compatible with all good digital media players.
* The Newspaper Album will be shipped on Monday 9th May 2011 you can, however, enjoy the download on Saturday 19th February 2011.
* Shipping is included in the prices shown.
* One lucky owner of the digital version of The King Of Limbs, purchased from this website, will receive a signed 2 track 12" vinyl.

*perhaps

Friday, February 11, 2011

Fuckin' Swag

Someone in this city should really have a FREE EARL event to raise funds for the cause. Perhaps the proceeds of Tyler's Yonkers single will be used for this purpose. Odd Future is the future, hands down.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Guilty pleasure: Deep minimal house

If you would have told me a year ago that I would dig house music, I would have dismissed your claims faster than Irina at Ritual can make you prepubescent again. However, after John Roberts' album Glass Eights last year (see número 5), I truly came to appreciate the qualities of the genre, as long as the disco elements are kept limited. The new album Well Spent Youth by Isolée is très bien; I dare you to listen without moving your head/body to the beat in some way.

Friday, February 4, 2011

DAPHNE005

The Modern Love imprint has been habitually rocking my early afternoons this past week. Andrea's You Still Got Me/Got to Forget (below) reminds me a lot of the Hyperdub releases from 2009, with a little techno and house thrown in the melting pot. As usual, PLAY LOUD.

On another note, I love the semi-retired life I have been leading lately. Everyday is like my own choose your own adventure book, and my choices never seem to disappoint. I could really get used to this.

Andrea - You Still Got Me / Got To Forget by modernlove

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Gareth Pugh

Things I like:

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Whitest girl alive?

Can’t help it.



Decent review here. My only gripe with this album is the cover...really? I mean, at least this is kind of funny.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Demdike Stare

Don't think I've gone all dark on y'all, but this shit is monumentous. If I were to make music, this is how I would want it to sound. Demdike Stare fuses French porno soundtracks, Turkish psych, and obscure Mid-East and East Indian beats with dubby techno glue. The outcome shatters all of my musical expectations.



Saturday, January 22, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Richard Kern

My interest started when I saw the book Looker, and now I just can't get enough of this man's work.


Check out this for a taste of his provocative but undeniably real portrayals of sexuality.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A Sentimental Note on Dubstep

I miss old dubstep; the real, good stuff that made me walk and walk and walk and get lost in my own head in the best possible way. Lost, not in my own deep thoughts, but solely on the sounds, the layering, the counts, the components of liquid melted bass that together made my insides warm up like a shot of Scotch. Sonically, the sounds were deep and nurturing, and had this matriarchal feel to them, perhaps in part due to Mary Anne Hobbs' influence on the sub-genre during this period (sidenote- as sad as it was for her to leave her late night BBC 1 radio show, I am of the opinion it was a wise move on her part. She had essentially raised the Bristol scene to a near pinnacle, and could anticipate that the future of dubstep was now out of her control and thrown free to the masses. She got out at a time that would diffuse her association with a genre that was heading in a wobbly direction with increasingly less attention to sound fluidity as it reached the mainstream).

Of course, there have still been great albums that have left me smiling to myself while walking down the street, but it isn't quite the same as that initial feeling I had when I first entered the world of dubstep. I'm not saying I want to be in the pure, simple state I was in before the genre, I merely want the fun of listening to it for the first time all over again.